Children's cardiologists prescribe a series of examinations, including an electrocardiogram, an X-ray and an echocardiogram, in order to make an accurate diagnosis and prescribe a treatment. What diseases of the child's heart exist, and how to identify them, as well as much more, find out in the article on "Infectious diseases of the heart in children."
Defects of the partitions of the atria and ventricles
Defects of the atrial septa are formed between the upper chambers of the heart (atria), which receives blood. Defects of the ventricles are found in the lower chambers of the heart, where the blood comes from. In both cases of this infectious disease, the blood that returns to the heart from the lungs does not go around the full circle, but goes back to the lungs, instead of going to the other organs. With this disease, the blood content in the lungs increases, in some children it causes a feeling of suffocation, difficulty eating, excessive sweating, and growth retardation. These defects can be corrected surgically.
Open arterial duct
Under normal circumstances of this infectious disease, this duct closes 1-2 days after birth. If it remains open, part of the blood enters the lungs and gives an additional strain to their blood vessels.
Stenosis of valves
With aortic stenosis, the aortic valve is partially closed, so the left ventricle spends more energy on feeding blood to the aorta, and thence to the rest of the organs. Some children have blockage so serious that they need surgery. In some cases, heart failure is also required, requiring emergency surgery or valvuloplasty with the introduction of an air filled canister. With stenosis of the pulmonary valve, the right ventricle spends more effort on transferring blood to the lungs. This stenosis can be almost invisible, not requiring treatment or, on the contrary, so serious that it will require repeated surgical intervention already in adulthood.
Coarctation of the aorta
This is the name for narrowing of the aorta site in case of infectious heart disease, which usually occurs at the junction of the arterial duct with the aorta or below the aorta of the left subclavian artery. With coarctation, the flow of blood to the lower part of the body is weakened, so the pulse and pressure in the legs are below the normal level, and in the hands - higher. With coarctation, there are usually a number of problems. Elevated blood pressure in the hands causes headaches and nosebleeds in some children. Physical stress in the disease is usually accompanied by pain in the legs due to low blood pressure, but otherwise coarctation is asymptomatic.
Transposition of large arteries
In children born with such abnormalities, life expectancy is very low. If they manage to survive, then only at the expense of a small hole between the right and left ventricles, usually available at birth. This hole lets pass some oxygenated blood from the right atrium to the left and then from the right ventricle to the aorta, so the body receives enough oxygen to maintain vital activity. Currently, these deviations are corrected in an operative way. Now we know what infectious heart diseases are in children.